Nicodemus – What Does This Mean?

Sermon on John 3:1-17

Second Sunday in Lent

Our Hope Lutheran Church

March 8, 2020

Text: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you are born from above you cannot see the kingdom of God … unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5)

Intro: Nicodemus was a true believer, looking for the coming Messiah. He was convinced by the signs that Jesus performed that he could well be the promised Messiah. But as a respected Pharisee, one of the few privileged to served in the Sanhedrin, he had no idea what that really meant. He thought the kingdom would come when God’s people lived righteous lives. To check all this out, he came to see Jesus at night. And Jesus turned his world upside down.

We must be born from above to enter God’s Kingdom.
1. We were born sinners.
2. Our emotions and will are hopelessly turned in on ourselves.
3. No matter what we do, we cannot free ourselves from it.
4. These sinful desires need to be drowned so that a new nature can be born.
5. This is not something we can decide to do, it is something that has to be done for us.

God gave his only Son so that we can be born from above.
1. Before he made the world, he loved us and chose us to be adopted as his heirs.
2. In the sacrifice of his Son, he redeemed us.
3. In baptism, we were baptized in the Holy Spirit, who created faith in our hearts and sealed us as God’s children.
4. We now live in his kingdom and remain in it forever.